5 Things I Recently Bought and Really Love

April 19, 2013

Good morning! Happy Friday!

I recently bought a few things that I really love, so I thought telling you guys about them might make a fun blog post. Hey, I figured if I’m totally obsessed with these things, you might love them, too!

After returning the UV nail lamp that I purchased a couple of weeks ago, I took the recommendation of some readers to check out the Red Carpet Professional LED Light. I went to Ulta (FYI: Ulta has a coupon for $3.50 off any $10 purchase) to see what it was all about. One of the sales associates raved about it to me, so I immediately bought one. I already had the gel nail polishes at home, so I just needed the LED light.

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect after my first experience with an at-home gel manicure machine, but the Red Carpet Professional LED Light surpassed all of my expectations. IT REALLY WORKS! And it works well! It only takes 45 seconds for each coat and the polish hardens right up. And, the most important part, it LASTS. Holy crap, it lasts! I always destroy my manicures (I’m really rough with my hands—CrossFit, etc.), but one manicure lasted 12 days without a single chip or peeling off! INCREDIBLE! This thing is better than a gel manicure from a salon. It is totally worth the investment!

I bought a bottle of Aveda Confixor Liquid Gel after getting my hair cut and styled at an Aveda salon few weeks ago. I loved how my hair turned out, so I bought this product so I could recreate the look at home. I put it in my hair before I blow dry it, and it comes out super straight with no frizz. It’s also light-weight and not sticky. Sometimes, I’ll put it in my hair wet and not blow dry, and it still helps fight the frizz and leaves my hair pretty straight (I’ll use a flat iron if I want it really smooth). The bottle was kind of expensive, but a little goes a long way!

Trader Joe’s White Bean & Basil Hummus

A bunch of you guys raved about this hummus, so I just had to see what it was all about. And, boy, were you guys onto something. This stuff is incredible!

When I saw this White Bean & Basil Hummus at Trader Joe’s the other day, I didn’t want to buy a big tub of it just in case I didn’t like it. I didn’t see any smaller containers, so I just bought the 16 ounce size and hoped for the best. Well, I’m really glad I bought the big one because it’s so tasty—tons of garlic and basil flavor. I’ve been snacking on it non-stop with rice crackers since I bought it. SO GOOD!

Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Tots

I stumbled upon these Sweet Potato Tots at Trader Joe’s in the freezer section awhile back. I bought a bag, ate them for dinner one night/fell in love, and I have thought about them ever since. I finally went back to Trader Joe’s last weekend and totally stocked up on them. If you like sweet potatoes, you will love these!

Ok, this one is kind of random, but it’s been sort of life-changing since I bought them. I always thought we had a crappy dishwasher/loaded our dishwasher too full because the dishes wouldn’t get sparkling clean and sometimes had little pieces of food stuck on them. I bought these Ecover Ecological Automatic Dishwasher Tablets on a whim at Stop & Shop a few weeks ago, and they work really well! Our dishes are sparking clean now! It’s amazing. It’s like we have a brand new dishwasher!

Glad you are as much of a Trader Joe’s fan as I am! I haven’t tried the sweet potato tots or the hummus, but I will be sure to try those! I love the frozen pizzas from TJ because they are easy/fast to make and so tasty! Also- you are really tempting me to buy the LED light! I find it pretty expensive to get my nails done when I need since I am a huge fan of the Gel manicures.

I’m glad to know that you like the gel manicure kit — I’ve been wondering about those, so I’m doing lots of reconnaissance on them!

And oh, the sweet potato puffs look incredible! I’m going to have to scope them out on my next TJ’s run — and on a related note, I’m pretty sure TJ’s is the most magical place on earth. Disney World ain’t got nuthin’ on the Trader.